No Air
by melissouza
Summary: This is SO AU at this point; but i love writing this story not that you can tell, SORRY FOR DELAY Danny is trying to get Lindsay back, but there is a secret...
1. No Air

Don ran hard, seeing Danny in the corner of his eye, breathlessly calling in for backup, as they pursued the bastard who killed his own infant girls. He saw the landscape pass, felt the burn of the air leaving and returning to his lungs. His heart heart pounding, desperate to catch him, to make him pay, thinking of his own baby girl at home, and his wife.

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air_

She heard the call go out "Officers in pursuit! All officers respond, code 4!!"  
Saw everyone mobilizing around her, knowing this was the call Don and Danny went out on. She felt herself freeze, no air flowing in or out.

_I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave  
My heart won't move, it's incomplete  
_  
Stella jolted out of her frozen state, grabbing her gun, and her badge from off her desk, and running to catch up with Mac, who was at the elevator.  
"Mac!! Wait for me!!"  
He turned, and his eyes, heavy with worry, looked at her and he nodded.  
"Lets go!"

_'Cause my world revolves around you  
It's so hard for me to breathe_

Danny pushed hard to get ahead of Don, to catch the guy & take him down. His last push was pre-empted as the man stopped, turned and pulled out a handgun.  
"STOP!! I will kill you both before your backup can arrive!!"  
They both skidded to a stop, thinking of their loved ones.  
Don, picturing the sight of his wife cradling their newborn daughter, her eyes full of tears, and her love for him and her.  
Danny, picturing Lindsay, knowing he may never make it up to her, never hold her in his arms as he once did.

_Got me out here in the water so deep  
Tell me how you gonna be without me  
If you ain't here, I just can't breathe  
It's no air, no air  
_

Sirens blaring, Mac sped as fast as he could, praying they would get there and all would be well. Terrified they'd lose not just Don and Danny but also Lindsay & Stella. He knew Lindsay was with Hawkes who was right behind him. He spared a glance over to Stella who was dry eyed, but had the look of a Queen in the midst of a War, tired, fearful, but composed. He saw the fear betrayed in how tight her hand was on the arm of the seat. Knuckles white, and nails dug in. He took a hand, put it over hers, and squeezed for a moment.  
_  
You took my breath, but I survived  
I don't know how, but I don't even care _

Don and Danny exchanged glances, and Don put his hands up, placatingly.  
"Ok, we're not moving, lets just be calm, ok?"  
The man, wild-eyed and panting " Calm?! You will kill me, and I will never be free if i even survive the shooting!"  
"Hey, no one said anything about shooting, ok, man?" Danny licked his lips, praying back-up arrived quickly.

_So how do you expect me  
To live alone with just me_

Scenes flashed through Stella's mind, picturing having to explain to their daughter, why her daddy was dead. Explain that he did it to Serve & Protect, and that, its possible that someday it could happen to her only living parent. She shuddered, a small whimper crossing her tightly sealed lips. Stella looked straight ahead, praying to every Saint, & to God, to keep her husband & Danny safe. Her mind in a loop of terrifying scenarios, she could barely draw a full breath.

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air  
Can't live, can't breathe with no air  
It's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

Don saw the cops arriving, behind the man, where he couldn't see them, and he prayed for safety as he goaded the man, to keep his attention on him.  
"What? Is it harder to kill your own infant children than two fully grown men? Don't have the guts?"  
Danny sucked in a breath, praying this did not push the man over the edge, and get them killed, not with back-up feet away.

_  
Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air  
Can't live, can't breathe with no air  
_  
Mac skidded to a stop around the corner and was out before Stella, grabbing her, to keep her from rushing to the scene.  
"Officers are on scene already, wait a minute!"  
Stella struggled, then stopped, knowing he is right, waiting to hear anything over the radio.  
6 shots rang out in succession, tearing a scream from Stella's throat as she tore herself from Mac's grip and pushed him away. She darted around the corner, saw Don & Danny. But not on the ground, bleeding. They were standing, holding their guns, & the suspect was lying down, still. She pushed through the crowd of cops, yelling Don's name.  
"DON!"  
Don's head snapped up, and he saw the blur of his wife and he holstered his gun, barely in time. She threw herself into his arms, sobbing and yelling at him in Greek.

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air  
Can't live, can't breathe with no air  
_

Don wraps his arms around her, finally able to breathe, feeling her heart beat against his chest, he soothes her.  
"Stella, I am ok, we had to shoot him"  
Looking up at him, her eyes full of tears, she whispers "Without you, I can't breathe."

_No air..._


	2. You can't hurry Love

(A/N: I re-read this and really felt there is more to this story than before. Please give me good or bad (constructive) reviews. I love them, I need them!!!!)

(A/N2: I have to say thank you to all who have reviewed, but especially Notesofwimsey & brodiegirl; both of whom have been so awesomely supportive, notesofwimsey online and brodiegirl both online and in real life, THANK YOU!!!!!!)

While most are watching Stella & Don's dramatic reunion, Danny steps away from the paramedic who was checking him over, walks to Lindsay, & touches her shoulder. Lindsay jumps & looks at him, eyes brimming with unshed tears, & a small spot of blood on her lip.

"Lindsay! You're bleeding? What happened?"

Danny's hand reaches to touch her lip, and she shies a bit from his touch, his hand falls & he looks down at his feet.

"Danny, I-I must have bit it on the way here, I heard you & Don on the radio. I rode down w/Sheldon, I-we were so afraid for you-you both, of course."

She is looking down, unable to meet his gaze & clears her throat, feeling like that awkward 14 yr old, talking to a boy she really likes. She laughs, looking up, & Danny's bright eyes catch hers, and he looks at her a little funny.

"What's so funny?"

Lindsay sighs, and looks at him, "We were in a relationship, & I can't even hold a conversation with you, I'm like a bumbling teenager."

Danny laughs, flushing slightly, "I'm not a lot better, Lindsay, but I'd like to be, I mean, I want to make amends, I want to try to make us work. I'm miserable-I mean, all the time."

Lindsay nods, feeling eyes on her back; she turns & sees Don & Stella, both_ casually_ looking her & Danny's way. "Let's discuss this later. I don't know if we can get to where we were, but I** would** like to try. Maybe dinner tonight?"

He nods, seeing the way she was looking & seeing them both look away, guiltily. He laughs, nodding their way.  
"Don's worse than Stella now, isn't that sad?"

Lindsay laughs and nods, touches his arm lightly. "I should go, they aren't letting us do CSI on this, and they called in some people from different shift."

Danny sighs "I got to be debriefed. How about we meet for Thai food? The place by work? Let's say 7pm?"

"Sure, I think I can do that, call me or text me if you get held up. If we have to, we can reschedule" Lindsay nods, a slight sparkle in her eyes.

Lindsay turns, and there is a spring in her step that hasn't been there, heading towards the cars, humming light under her breath.

Don meanders over to Danny, a smirk on his face. "Got something you wanna share, Messer?"

Danny shakes his head, smiling. "Nope, I sure don't."

He turns and walks to investigators to give his statement, leaving Don standing there, shocked.

Walking over, Stella wraps her arms around Don from behind, nestling her face in the strength of his back, giggling.

"Awww poor baby, no luck?"

Don frowns, and turns around, pulling her close, and looks down "What? You think you have more skills? Prove it."

"Oh, you don't want to go against the Master of the Lab, trust me." Stella smiles predatorily.

"Wouldn't it be Mistress? And I am not afraid of you, Lady; I can out-investigate you any day!" He nods, crossing his arms.

"Ok, prove it. Whoever wins, they get first pick of Date Night locations when your mom watches Star Linn for the next 3 months!" Stella mirrors him, crossing her arms, giving a rebellious look to him. He smirks back, raising one eyebrow.

"Ok, fine, I will talk to my Ma, maybe she would even take her for a Weekend when you have to take me to Atlantic City."

Stella laughs and tugs on his tie, shaking her head, murmuring, "Men."

She walks away, with a decidedly wicked wiggle to her hips, smirking as she calls out

"Hey! Lindsay, wait up, Can I catch a ride with you back to the Lab?"

Don groans softly, hoping he had not just put both feet into his mouth, and walks over to the investigators who were already talking to Danny.


	3. One Step at a Time

Stella wraps an arm around Lindsay's shoulders and smiles down at her, eyes twinkling.  
"So????"

Lindsay laughs, shrugging Stella's arm off, and stopping, an eyebrow cocked upwards.  
"So what? You really think I will give it up that easily? Man, I am no country bumpkin from Montana, ya know?" She laughs.

Stella sighs, rolling her eyes dramatically, and points to the car. "Get in, I know how to bribe ya, I will be right back."

Legs quickly eating up the distance to Mac & Sheldon, she looks at Sheldon and asks "Can I have your keys? Lindsay & I need some liquid rewards for this stress."

Sheldon fishes out the keys, and hands them over, a confused look crossing his face, but knowing better than to question Stella. Mac laughs and looks over at Lindsay, settling into the passenger seat.

"Interrogation over a Starbucks? Sneaky, Stella. Go, but you guys still have your own work to do, so don't take too long."

Nodding, Stella tosses the keys up and catches them, strolling back to the car, snickering to herself, thinking to herself_ "Don's got no chance,____**Chanterelle**__ here we come. I can almost taste the food now. Of course, Don will have to save up, but I'm a patient woman."_

Lindsay sat in the car, mind racing, trying to decide what, if anything, she would tell Stella, and knowing she is a goner. Stella would get something out of her. Wondering if she gave her the BARE bones of it, if she'd leave her alone, then shakes her head. No way, she won't be satisfied with that. Stella opens her door and settles into the drivers' seat, startling Lindsay.

"Hey, ready for some coffee, maybe an insanely decadent pastry?" Stella smiles sweetly at Lindsay, knowing she had to be plotting some kind of a way out of this conversation.

Lindsay nods, and settles back for a ride with Stella, double-checking her seatbelt is on, Stella is a good driver but her Greek roots get the best of her sometimes.

Stella finds one far enough from work, they'd be unlikely to be interrupted by any nosy co-workers, but not too far from office. She gets their drinks and a very rich looking treat, and meets Lindsay at a table, removed from the main path of customers. She hands Lindsay her drink and a fork, then settles in.

"So how is my god-daughter, Stel? Getting bigger every day?" Lindsay smiles, hoping her trick to distract her works, even if it's for a minute or two.

Laughing, she nods. "Yes, she is, and looking more like she will be a heartbreaker when she gets older. Don keeps mentioning private school, nunnery, or maybe a girls' only boarding school. But, we're not here to discuss that, are we?" Affixing Lindsay with her patented stare, she waits patiently for Lindsay to fold and give her the skinny on what happened at the scene with Danny.

Taking a bite of food then a sip of her drink, Lindsay squirms a teeny bit under her sharp eye, and then looks up, and her eyes fill with tears.

"Stella, I-I'm pregnant." She sits, trembling slightly, worried because even though they are friends, Danny was in Stella's life first, and she hasn't even told Danny.

Eyes widening, Stella puts her coffee down abruptly. "Oh my……oh my goodness!! Lindsay!!! That's GREAT!!!" She gets up and envelops Lindsay in a huge hug, then holds her at an arms length. "Right?" She searches her face for Lindsay's feeling on this, noting that she has some hollows under her eyes, vowing to feed her more, especially if Danny did not take the initiative.

"Yes, I am happy about it. But Stella, I haven't told Danny. I mean, after the Rueben incident, I think he has decided he won't have kids. We broke up, he pushed me away, didn't trust me enough to help him get through that whole thing. Now he is wants to mend those damaged bridges, and I'm scared, Stella. Really scared."

Nodding, Stella sits back down, thinking quickly, and turns on a (hopefully) reassuring smile, and grasps her hand, "Linds, he will be happy, I mean, it will be a surprise, but he will warm to it quick. I am positive! That man's over the moon about you. Now let's talk shopping, you will need new clothes!! You know you can't leave me behind for that!" She smiles, hoping to distract Lindsay from worrying. Lindsay chuckles and they start talking clothes, her worries allayed for the moment.

Don looks over at Danny, talking animatedly with IAB, knowing they are probably giving him shit for the shoot. He turns back to the Detective interviewing him, and nods.

"Yes. He stated he would shoot us, that even if he wasn't killed during the confrontation, he'd never be free. The suspect must have known we'd found enough evidence to arrest him. We stopped, and attempted to calm him down, and keep his focus on us, allowing back-up the chance to get into place."

Detective Johansson looked up, and raised an eyebrow, "And your wife's display after? A bit inappropriate, don't you think?"

Don pushes back the growl that comes to his throat, and smiles, raising an eyebrow.

"Smart of you to wait until she leaves to mention that. We'll forget you asked that, since it's neither relevant nor is it appropriate to mention it. BUT since you did, she is my wife & a MOTHER; of course she was worried about me. End of story. Understood?"

Detective Johansson nods; rolling his eyes, and closes his book.

"You are on administrative leave until we clear this as a good shoot, same with Messer, ok? Turn your badge & gun into your Captain within the hour. You are free to go, Detective."

Don turns and walks away, walking towards Danny who is obviously getting the same news, his shoulders tightening, then loosening as he nods, and walks away, even as the IAB Detective is finishing his sentence.

"Hey, Don, can I catch a ride back to the Lab? Gotta turn my gun & badge in, just like you do until IAB clears us."

Don nods and indicates with his head towards the car, and stops by Mac, nods to him, "Stel and Lindsay ride back together?"

Mac nods, and leans in, and speaks softly, "They needed some 'girl' time, I'm presuming. Lindsay has had some rough times recently, with Danny, and all."

Sighing, he nods, running his hand through his hair. "I know, and I wish I knew where Danny's head has been. I'm running back to the Lab to drop him off, he needs to turn his badge & gun into you, & then I need to go to the Precinct & do the same. See you later, all right?" Don heads towards the car, wondering how to get Danny to talk.

Danny scuffs his shoe on the cement, trying to decide what to tell Don, not wanting to get too ahead of himself, not really knowing what's going to happen tonight.

Don unlocks the doors and Danny settles in, and looks out the window, lost in his own thoughts.

"Hey, Messer? What's goin' with you & Lindsay? I thought you guys weren't together anymore? Y'all looked pretty cozy a little bit ago?"

Danny chuckles wryly, looking at Don, and nods, "Something like that, man. I don't know. She is all I really think about, ya know? No matter where I am, or what's going on. I think about her, or how'd she like something I'm watching or eating. I don't know if I have a right to ask her to take me back, not after how I treated her. B-but I can't not try."

Don stops, and turns to him, and sighs. "Look, I get that. But she's Stella's best friend, and you're mine. I swear, though, you hurt her again, & I will beat you to a pulp, understand? You cannot keep messing with her emotions."

Nodding, Danny looks away, and sighs quietly.

"I know, I'd let you, man."

Don faces forward, and continues on towards the Lab & his Precinct.


	4. Heart of Glass

(a/n: It has been a LONG time, no one is probably even following this but I am feeling like I cheated the characters out of their completed story, so I am BACK!)

Stella stands, brushing off some crumbs from their treat, and smiles down at Lindsay.

"Let's go, Kiddo, gotta get back to the grind."

Standing, Lindsay smiles and draws Stella into a tight hug, one or two hot tears hitting Stella's neck, as she whispers, "Thank you. I needed this."

With a smile, Stella strokes Lindsay's hair lightly and pulls back, with a smile. "Its going to get so much better now, Lindsay, I promise."

Stepping into the Lab, Danny looks around as he walks down towards Mac's office, half hoping to see Lindsay, but with a twist of his lips, he figures Stella's got her locked down with some coffee. Knocking on Mac's open door, stepping in as Mac looks up.

"Danny, how are you? No injuries?" Mac stands up and walks around the desk, looks at Danny with scrutiny, sharp eyes taking in the slight gauntness to his cheeks, and the sadness that seems permanent in his eyes.

Danny smiles a little, and arms up, turns around slowly. "Yeah, I'm good, Mac. Just in to check in, and turn in my gun, and my badge. IAB's request since theyre not finished investigating the shooting. It'll be nice to get a few days' rest, right?" His smile is a bit brittle, but Mac nods, a corner of his mouth lifting.

"Danny, fill out the incident report, file it with me, then go rest up. Once I know you're cleared, you'll have to see the shrink first then you can get back into the Lab." Mac clapped his hand onto Danny's shoulder, turning him around.

Lindsay and Stella step off the elevator, at that moment. Lindsay's eyes lock onto Danny's and she smiles slightly, and feels a flush start up her cheeks at his returning smirk. Stella grabs onto her arm and drags her off towards Stella's office, laughing at them.

"Get back to work, Linds, so you can get off and go have dinner with him. Remember, you don't have to tell him tonight, if youre not ready."

"I know, but I don't want him to feel like the whole world knew before him, either." Lindsay fidgets with the button on her lab coat, as she slips it on and buttons it, noticing it's a bit snug. She gives Stella a big smile, and then heads off to the lab she had been in, getting back to work.

Danny knocks on Stella's door, after having finished his report & turned in both his badge & gun. He hears a "come in", and opens the door, slipping in and closing it behind him.

"Hey, Stel, how's it goin'?"

Stella looks up, and with a raised eyebrow, she smiles slightly, "Hey, I'm doing ok, how are you holding up?"

Shrugging, Danny leans against a wall, one hand messing up his hair, as he runs his fingers through it. "I dunno, I hate that I had to shoot the guy, but, I can't imagine doing that to my own children, it sickens me, so can't say the perp will be missed much."

Standing up, Stella moves around her desk, and up to Danny, her hand on his cheek as she looks at him, and presses a kiss to his other cheek.

"Wasn't what I meant, and you know it."

He looks at her, nodding, as he pulls her into a brotherly hug, needing the physical contact of someone who he KNOWS still loves him.

"I'm getting there, Stel, I promise. One step at a time."


End file.
